This started as a cross stitching diary. I've always wanted to try out different embroidery techniques and have dabbled in Hardanger, goldwork, ribbon embroidery
and stumpwork. I am now enjoying learning crazy quilting and teaching myself dressmaking.

Pages

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

The last few days I've been making t-shirts. It is a very easy pattern using Kwik Sew 3766. the pattern offers a short sleeve t-shirt and a long sleeve T. I opted for the short sleeve version, which is view B, but I used the higher neck from View A.

I made 3 white t-shirts and one floral. White is so versatile, I can either wear on its own, under shirts or under this sheath dress.

Of course, now I have an embroidery machine I needed to add an embroidery touch to a couple of the white t's.

Tuesday, 15 November 2016

10 days ago I picked up my first sewing and embroidery machine. It is a Brother Innovis-950D. I was wanting to upgrade my sewing machine and this one was within budget and included embroidery functions. It is just a small embroidery field - 4inches x 4 inches, but as the embroidery function is the cherry on top I'm not complaining! I love it. I've spent the last week playing with it. Here are just a few of the things I've made. At this stage its mainly playing rather than serious sewing, just so I can learn.

Rocking horse candy cane holder. The cane goes between the hooves.

Cat on TShirt. Doesn't show here but cat has green eyes.

Strawberries on a tea towel

In my previous post I had made the woven shirt from Burdastyle 7/16. Since then I have made the woven dress.

This time I wanted to have contrasting colours for the woven front so used red and blue poplin to match the colours of the main fabric. The neckline was done with plain red poplin. The belt was to be plain blue, however I had to put my new embroidery machine to work so I found a design that was similar to the design on the fabric and embroidered the belt.

I didn't have quite enough blue poplin for the belt, so I added a red panel at the back, changing the embroidered red flowers to blue - there are blue flowers in the main fabric, so again it matches.

I love my new embroidered dress. It is something that will be uniquely me - good or bad!

Thursday, 3 November 2016

I've had an enjoyable day today visiting the Festival of Quilts. What made it extra enjoyable is that I ordered a new sewing/embroidery machine. I've had my eye on the Brother NV950D for quite some time and have been watching the Sewing Machine World website for a few months hoping for a sale. It is a sewing and embroidery machine. I was wanting to upgrade my sewing machine and discovered this one in my price range, which also has embroidery capability.

Imagine my delight when I arrived at the quilt show to find the shop had their own stand. It was the first place I visited. They didn't have the machine at the shop, but there is a show special of $150 discount. I've ordered the machine. It has to come from Tauranga so will be in their Onehunga shop on Monday. Can't wait.

In the meantime I looked around the other stands and bought some specialty scissors - applique and specially shaped scissors for trimming machine embroidery threads. I enjoyed looking at all the beautiful quilts, but of course my main focus was on those that incorporated machine embroidery. There weren't that many, so I snapped photos of those - inspiration!

These flower blocks were probably my favourite - just cause it looks like it might be something I might be able to do with my embroidery machine.

This was probably the one I liked most, but it also looks the most complicated.

Not too keen on the appearance of this one, but have included as an example of simple coloured thread on a black background.

Redwork. I like this as well.

Not embroidery, but this yellow challenge wall of lots of wall hangings was so bright and cheerful I had to have a photo.

Loved this bird. The stippling looks like a Maori design.

And some flower wallhangings

that's all for now. Hopefully I'll post next week with a photo of my new sewing machine,however I may be too busy trying to learn how to use it to post!

Wednesday, 2 November 2016

I was waiting very impatiently for the July issue of the Burda magazine to appear in the shops here. Finally mid-October it came in the shops. There are so many patterns in this issue that I want to make, but I especially had my eye on this woven plastron top.

I wasn't sure how the woven part would work, so didn't want to get expensive fabric in case it went horribly wrong. I'd already picked up some striped shirting fabric from the Hospice shop for $5 with this top in mind.
Here is my version.

The pattern calls for soluble stabiliser to be used and the woven plastron strips to be sewn to this before attaching to the shirt. The only sort I could find in Spotlight was some plasticy type stuff. I was a bit worried that it would move too much, and I was right. The plastron shape got horribly distorted and I had to pin and tape like crazy and then mark the plastron tape from my original traced templated onto the woven strips. However it came together well in the end. I found out later that there is a soluble stabiliser that looks more like interfacing. This would have worked better, or even possibly tear away stabiliser.

The only change I made was to increase the number of buttons from 6 to 7. The pattern markings are for size 36 and it tells you to alter the top placement according to your size and to leave the bottom button placement where it is, then evenly space the other buttons between the top and bottom. As I made size 42, if I evenly spaced the remaining buttons there would be 3 7/8" apart which I felt was too wide. When I increased it to 7 buttons, the space reduced to 3 1/4".

The other issue with the buttons is to do with size. The pattern says to use small buttons, you really need to use the smallest you can find. As the buttons are underneath the band, the buttons have to fit within the stitched seam lines, One of my buttonholes was ever so slightly to the side, which in normal buttonholes wouldn't have mattered, however trying to put the button in is very fiddly as the edges of the button are right up against the stitched line. If I make it again I would be tempted to make ordinary buttonholes, apart from that one wonky buttonhole, the buttons are fiddly for fastening.

I like the outcome of this top. I plan to make the dress version in a floral poplin with plain contrasting colours for the plastron.

On to other things. I actually finished this Hardanger piece a couple of months ago, but forgot to post. About a year in the making. The base fabric is a light purple, I wish I could remember what fabric I used and the count. If I remember I'll add to this post.